


A Sith’s Hand and A Scavenger’s Touch

by OneofThoseDays



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: (Mind trick hand wave) - You know this is what should have happened, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Confusion, Consider me a passenger aboard this ship regardless, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, First Impressions, Fluff, Hopefully George Lucas doesn’t add CGI to this story later, Hurt/Comfort, If it is confirmed … well, Interrogation, It runs in Skywalker blood, It’s not incest until it’s confirmed, Kissing, Kylo doesn't teach the easy way, Lightsabers, Maybe - Freeform, Mind Games, Pain, Phasma finds them drunk, Pseudo-Incest, Relationship(s), Restraints, Rey falling to the Dark Side, Reylo - Freeform, So that’s what people are calling it these days, Some Plot, Spoilers, The Force
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-09 19:06:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5551757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneofThoseDays/pseuds/OneofThoseDays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He had come for the droid.<br/>He had expected a girl.<br/>But Kylo Ren had not been ready for this.<br/>Supreme Leader Snoke had always taught him to avoid falling for the beauty in anything other than his own power, and Kylo had always agreed with this lesson, seeing beauty as a trick or a distraction to deter him from his ever-expanding goals.<br/>But this girl was different.<br/>Of course, she wasn’t being very friendly.<br/>(From the forest to the interrogation scene and beyond, a personal twist in the story where Rey and Kylo Ren realize their true feelings for one another.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Different Kind of Awakening

He had come for the droid.

     He had expected a girl.

     But Kylo Ren had not been ready for _this_.

     Supreme Leader Snoke had always taught him to avoid falling for the beauty in anything other than his own power, and Kylo had always agreed with this lesson, seeing beauty as a trick or a distraction to deter him from his ever-expanding goals.

     But this girl was different.

     They were in the middle of the forest on some forgettable planet named Takodana, and his loyal Stormtroopers of the First Order were engaging the Resistance nearby, but all that mattered little compared to who was before him.

     Of course, the girl wasn’t being very friendly.

     She was actually shooting at him, and he was casually deflecting the bullets as he slowly walked toward her.

     There was something about her. Something that stirred a feeling within him that Snoke and his teachings had never explained to him.

     He was curious, examining the girl through his mask.

     His mask.

     He could see her face. Clearly so in fact. And yet, she could not see his.

     It made him wonder.

     Would she still be shooting at him if he didn’t have his mask on?

     _Snap out of it. Remember your training._

     He reached out with the Force, paralyzing the girl and freezing her in place.

     Then Kylo Ren approached her.

     She was frightened.

     He probably didn’t seem human.

     But why was that bothering him?

     He walked behind her … and then swung his lightsaber in a side-arc, bringing it to a halt and hanging it inches away from her neck as he judged her reaction.

     The girl wanted oh so desperately to run. She was afraid, but all she could move was her eyes, and she was using them to look over at his crackling lightsaber in awe and fear.

     That was it. She had never seen any of this before. This was all so new to her.

     She lived in a galaxy of aliens, and she had seen many on the backwater, sandy world of Jakku, but what could be more alien to her than the Force? What kind of power could rip control of her own body away from her?

     He knew the answer.

     His power.

     The masked being’s power.

     The First Order needed the droid, but he wanted the girl.

     Kylo Ren quickly entered the girl’s mind, and as fate would have it, she had seen the star map.

     He could take her, and he would, so with a wave of his hand he knocked her senseless.

     The girl fell limp but he caught her, scooping her body up into his arms before she could hit the ground.

     Kylo knew why he wanted the girl. He wanted to see her again when she awoke.

     Except this time, he would do so without the mask.

 

\-----

 

   Kylo called off the attack, ordering his Stormtroopers to retreat as he returned to his shuttle, carrying the girl in his arms as he climbed up the boarding ramp. 

     He slumped the girl down on the side bench before taking his mask off. He coldly examined the mask for a few moments before slamming it into a side hatch where it wouldn’t be seen, and then took off and discarded his extra robes and gloves before placing them into the hatch as well.

     The girl could lay eyes upon a man now. Not a monster.

     He returned to the girl and sat down on the bench beside her before scooping her back into his arms and laying her across his knees.

     What was he feeling as he gazed at this desert robed girl? Who was she compared to him? What power did she possess compared to his own?

     She stirred in his hands. And then, with her eyes still closed, she reached up and placed the palm of her hand on his chest.

     “Where am I?” she whispered. It was the first time he had heard her speak, and he found her voice comforting, much to his own confusion.

     “Safe,” he whispered back, unsure of what else to say as his nerves began to gnaw at him inside.

     “What happened?” she asked. “I was attacked by someone … or something … in a mask. I don’t remember. It’s all so blurry. I was shooting and then—”

     “I rescued you.”

     He lied.

     Why had he lied?

     “I saved you and then brought you on board my ship.”

     Why was he continuing to lie?

     The girl opened her eyes. Keen and wide as they examined him and her surroundings, they were the eyes of a scavenger, taking in every single detail around her.

     “Are you with the Resistance?” she asked as he looked into her beautiful, hazel eyes.

     “Yes,” he calmly replied without hesitation.

     Another lie.

_Wait, beautiful?_

That was why he was lying.

     She was … beautiful.

     “Thank goodness,” the girl said, inching her way closer to him as she let out a long sigh of relief. “I’m Rey by the way.”

     A knot formed in Kylo’s throat.

     “I’m … Kylo.”

     “Kylo … I like that name. And I like you too, you’re not half bad looking, you know?”

     This was getting worse and worse, but as much as Kylo didn’t want to admit it, he was … he shuddered to think … happy.

     It had been … a long time … too long actually, since he had been shown affection.

     Kylo hadn’t intended to fall silent, but Rey had picked up on the fact and moved the hand still resting on his chest over to his heart.

     It was beating fast.

     Really fast.

     Rey laughed. Oh, why was she laughing? It was infectious.

     No amount of dark training could calm his heart. It was so simple for Rey to figure him and his feelings for her out just like that.

     And for just a fraction of a moment, Kylo contemplated knocking her out again.

     But then Rey smiled at him.

     He smiled back. He hadn’t smiled in ages. In fact, the last time he had smiled was so many years ago that he had long been convinced that he had lost the ability to do so.

     No. He wouldn’t knock her out.

     Rey reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and Kylo Ren, leader of the First Order and Sith apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke, did not resist.

     Instead, he leaned over as Rey pushed herself up, holding her tighter in his arms.

     They met in the middle, each finding the warm lips of the other.

     Kylo Ren and Rey held themselves in that comforting and reassuring position, half-wishing that they could just be locked like this forever, until Rey pulled away.

     However, she had not done so willingly.

     She had passed out again. Her body had been through too much. It was a true testament to her strength that she had even awoke at all.

     Kylo brushed the loose hairs from Rey’s face as he slowly caressed her cheek. He could see her sleeping thoughts. She wouldn’t remember any of this when she awoke.

     He sighed regretfully as he carefully and softly laid Rey out along the bench while returning to his feet.

_Perhaps it’s for the best that she won’t remember._

Kylo reopened the hatch and laid eyes upon his mask.

     He had a job to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are enjoying your holidays with a little Reylo from the trash compactor.


	2. A Forceful Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren/Rey interrogation scene that goes down a little bit differently.
> 
> Kylo's perspective for Chapter 1 / Rey's perspective for Chapter 2.

Kylo Ren took off his mask.

_Wait, he actually took off his mask when I asked him? Why for me?_

     Kylo Ren turned to face her after slamming his mask down into a sizzling tray of ice.

     _Dramatic. And kind of handsome, not exactly what I was expecting._

Kylo Ren walked toward her.

     _Wait, Rey! What in Jakku did you just say? Handsome? He has you strapped to a chair! You’re his PRISONER for crying out loud!_

The painful force of Kylo blasting her back against the restraints took her by surprise.

     _That’s … going … to … hurt … in the morning …_

Rey struggled as Kylo approached, hand outstretched to her, his dark, fiery eyes gazing deep into her own.

     She felt him, not physically, but mentally. He was in her mind, swimming through her thoughts and interrogating her without asking a single question.

     It was hurting, and she began to sweat and shake, clenching her teeth as she admired his smooth, boyish face and black hair which fell down to his shoulders.

     _Rey! Snap out of it before he snaps you!_

“You imagine an ocean,” Kylo said to her. “An island …”

     His voice was actually kind of soothing without the mask.

     _Soothing? Soothing, Rey? Do you feel soothed right now? Is this soothing to you?_

As another violent wave of pain crashed over her, Rey was actually glad that he was lurking in the back of her mind, growing worried about how he might feel if he looked at the confliction taking place up front.

     _Rey! What. Is. Wrong. With. You! This man is picking apart your thoughts, and he’s kind of cute, and he’s stealing all your— wait, you’re a scavenger! You should be picking him apart! And dear God, Rey, shut up! Now, why don’t I return the favor?_

Rey wasn’t exactly sure how she was supposed to accomplish that, and she was twitching all over, but she was going to give it a shot anyway because for one, she just felt that she could, and second … well …

     _Maybe I can impress him. Rey! Focus!_

Perhaps she focused a little too hard, because she felt something strange enter and flow through her. Something that was more than herself.

     _Is this the Force?_

She also couldn’t help but notice Kylo Ren’s fingertips softly touching her cheek.

     _Priorities, Rey! PRI… OR… I … TIES! You’re being tortured here! Now … GO!_

The mental impact was jarring, surprising, and totally not what she was expecting.

     _I’m in his head! But … no … no …_

Goosebumps begin to crawl along her exposed skin as a biting chill overcame her body despite the hot sweat rolling down her face.

     Rey was in two places at once: her physical body still looking into Kylo’s deep, brown eyes while the second her was gazing at the unorganized library that was Kylo’s mind.

     And much like her, she was gazing at two different people.

     The Kylo on the outside was fearful, powerful, evil, a force to be reckoned with …

     But the Kylo on the inside was different. He was tormented, confused, a boy in pain …

     Rey used her physical self to examine Kylo. He was staring at her with hard, merciless eyes. There was no weakness there. Nothing that would hint at his inner turmoil.

     Her mental self dived deeper. All the loss … the struggles … the pain … he has been beaten, battered, punished for his failures … she could see the scars …

     It was chaos. He was pulling himself in all different directions, but there had to be something. A certain something that was driving him to such extremes. What was causing him so much inner conflict? She just had to find it.

     As her physical body gave way to a powerful spasm under Kylo’s relentless punishment, the mental Rey was nearing her destination. All the signs were leading her to the back of his mind, similar to where he was in her own.

     Along the way she saw more suffering and agony. Had Kylo ever been happy? How could someone have pent-up all these terrible emotions inside themself?

     The answer hit her.

     She thought Kylo had taken off his mask, but no, there was another mask underneath that.

     Him … Kylo Ren, the boy her physical self was looking at right now was wearing another mask.

     But this was a mask of skin, the hardest to see through, and unless you have the Force on your side, one that you might not even know exists.

     But she did have the Force on her side, at least for the moment anyway, so she could see beneath the hidden mask and see the true Kylo Ren, his emotions, and finally, at the end of the road, what was causing him so much pain.

     It was another mask.

     Unfamiliar … foreign … but the one, she was sure of that. This was the mask of another man, someone gone but ever present in Kylo’s thoughts. She could feel the evil radiating from the mask, and a rasping breathing sound filled her mind. This was something more to Kylo Ren, something of infinite measure. This mask was a symbol, something he wanted to live up to … something he wanted to be or better yet surpass.

     There was the kicker.

     Kylo was afraid. He was terrified. This is a boy who had always wanted to put on his grandfather’s mask, but he always couldn’t because it is was too big for him. And now, he’s grown older but the mask still isn’t fitting. It’s chewing him up on the inside. He’s beginning to wonder whether it will ever fit … and … and …

     “And you’re afraid … so very afraid that you will _never_ be as ruthless as Darth Vader … horrified that you don’t have that kind of power within you.”

     Her body was instantly freed and Kylo was sent reeling, their mental selves returning to where they belong.

     Rey was a scavenger at heart. She had found an opportunity, and she had exploited every inch of it.

     Why though, why did she feel that she had done something wrong?

     And why, perhaps above all, was the first thing she noticed once more after being interrogated and tortured was how handsome Kylo Ren was?

     She had ripped off Kylo’s second mask, turning him inside out and exposing his true feelings. He looked about as lit as an ion cannon, and his temper was no less deadly when he began using the Force to tear panels from the wall, crush computer panels, and send electrical sparks flying everywhere.

     Another wave of guilt washed over her.

     _C’mon, Rey. You’re winning. You should be happ—wait, I’m not winning. I’m not pressing my advantage like I should be. Why? I always have before, just like a scavenger should. No … I know why. Oh dear God, Rey … it’s because you li—_

She was slammed back against the restraints yet again as Kylo Ren took notice of her indecision and thrust himself back into her mind.

     Except this time … he was going the other way.

     _Round two, huh? Well two can play at that game._

Rey launched herself back into Kylo’s mind and followed his example, heading for the forefront of his thoughts. It was the location in each of their minds where secrets where laid bare like an open book.

     They arrived at the same time.

     They arrived at the same thought.

     Both immediately launched themselves out of the other, sweating and breathing heavily as they stared at one another in a new light.

     “You’re strong … in the Force.” Kylo said, stepping toward her unevenly. “Raw … unrefined … but strong.”

     “You need a teacher,” he continued, leaning up to her until their faces were only inches apart. “I could teach you.”

     They could smell one another.

     One smelt of hard steel. The other of shifting sand.

     Each was intoxicating.

     Rey closed her eyes.

     Then she moved her lips onto Kylo’s, and she held them there.

     Kylo didn’t resist.

     Rather, he leaned in closer, releasing the cuffs binding her to the chair with a wave of his hand which allowed them to wrap their arms tightly around the other.

     They held on to that warm, powerful, surging moment for as long as possible before pulling apart.

     She looked eagerly into Kylo Ren’s eyes, and he looked back into her own.

     “I’ll accept that offer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, some food for thought: Could Rey be lying to gain an advantage here? She is a scavenger after all! 
> 
> A big chapter should be coming your way tomorrow.
> 
> Also, thank you all so much for the kudos, hits, bookmarks, etc.! I'm so glad to see that some Reyloites are enjoying this!


	3. A Rey to Ren-der Him Helpless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end forest fight scene on Starkiller Base if it all went down differently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out to be a little longer than I initially thought it would be.
> 
> I'll explain more in the end notes.
> 
> Also, the more I write about these two and imagine the relationship they would have, I see them being very physical with one another. They are both young and very strong, so they would be rough with each other, you know?

Of course she had lied.

     That’s what Rey had been telling herself over and over again since escaping from her cell on Starkiller Base.

     She just wasn’t sure how much she believed herself.

     The feel of Kylo Ren’s kiss was still lingering on her lips.

     _Snap out of it, Rey! You need to worry about escaping here!_

She was back with Finn, and Han Solo and Chewbacca had split up and were busy planting charges to blow the place sky-high.

     And yet …

     “Ben!”

     _Ben?_

She and Finn rushed over to a railing overlooking the central pit of the base. They were high up, looking down upon a thin bridge which spanned the chasm.

     It was Han who had spoken.

     He had yelled out to a man standing in the middle of the bridge.

     A masked man.

     _No … no … no …_

Rey could feel her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest as her throat tightened.

     She watched helplessly as Han began to traverse the bridge, eventually stopping himself a short distance away from Kylo Ren.

     What in the world was Han doing?

     Kylo took off his mask and slammed it to the ground. He seemed to have a habit of slamming his mask.

     But oh, of all the things Kylo could have done to make Rey feel even more conflicted and confused about the whole situation playing out before her, that was the very thing to do it.

     Even from this distance, she could make out his features … his handsome features.

Rey couldn’t hear what was being said between the two, but Han was inching his way ever closer to Kylo.

     And she already knew that he was making a huge mistake.

     Han Solo hadn’t been inside Kylo Ren’s head like she had. The smuggler couldn’t see Kylo’s true emotions and couldn’t possibly understand the turmoil within Kylo Ren because he couldn’t see past something hidden from his naked eye.

      He couldn’t fathom the chaos that was running wild beneath Kylo’s second mask.

     Han now had his hand on Kylo Ren’s lightsaber.

     Rey didn’t even need the Force to see what was about to happen.

     But she didn’t look away. She didn’t even blink as Kylo’s red, unstable lightsaber ignited through the chest of Han Solo.

     Han reached out to Kylo, touching his cheek before falling off the bridge and down into the pit below. He was soon lost to sight.

     Before Rey could even fathom how she felt about this, Chewbacca roared out and in a fury fired a bolt from his bowcaster that hit Kylo square in the chest, knocking him down to one knee.

     She flinched in worry.

     Then she realized what she had just done.

     She had flinched for Kylo, yet she hadn’t moved a muscle when Han had died right before her eyes only moments ago.

     What was that supposed to tell her?

     Finn pulled on her arm, dragging her back to her senses as Chewie detonated the charges with a deafening blast which echoed around the dome while firing away at First Order Stormtroopers who had come to back Kylo up.

     Half of her wanted to stay and make sure that Kylo was okay, but the other half of her wanted to run and get as far away as possible from Starkiller Base.

     She wasn’t sure which side was winning as she let herself be pulled away from the scene by Finn, consciously turning her head to watch Kylo as he returned to his feet while clutching his chest and only looking away from him once he was lost to sight.

     They ran.

     They ran some more.

     And they continued running, eventually exiting the collapsing dome as they entered a cold, snowy forest.

     Rey was still wearing her robes equipped for the hot extremes of Jakku, so she should have been freezing as her breath turned to fine mist in the air before her, but she wasn’t focusing on that.

     She was focusing on the man who had appeared before them.

     Finn was holding out his arm to stop her as he ignited his blue lightsaber.

     Kylo Ren followed suit, igniting his own.

     Who’s side was she supposed to choose?

     She wasn’t given much of an opportunity to ponder the question as she was knocked senseless upon being blasted backward into a tree.

 

\-----

 

_That was a little overkill. I didn’t mean to push her that hard._

One of the disadvantages to having been shot in the chest by a Wookie bowcaster.

     _But then again, a little payback for lying earlier._

Kylo Ren was conflicted about a lot of things at the moment, but as he glared at FN-2187 standing defiantly between him and Rey with the fabled lightsaber of Anakin and Luke Skywalker in his hands, he knew one thing for sure.

     He wasn’t about to lose to some rogue Stormtrooper who believed he was more than he really was.

     This would be quick.

     He took a step forward, immediately receiving another burst of pain from his chest.

     In a rage he pounded the injury with his fist, fueling his power and anger as he spun at the traitor.

 

\-----

 

     _Oh … my head …_

The ground was shaking beneath her.

     Rey snapped back to her senses and looked up just in time to see Kylo slash Finn across the back with his lightsaber.

     _Finn!_

     Finn’s lightsaber fell into the snow as his body crumbled to the ground.

     Rey was looking at the back of Kylo’s head, gazing at the white snowflakes peacefully falling into his black mane.

     He was reaching out with the Force, directing its flow to the lightsaber as Rey pushed herself to her feet.

     She wasn’t about to let him win that easily.

     With her hand outstretched just like Kylo’s, the lightsaber flew over his shoulder and landed in the palm of her hand.

     He spun around to face her.

     It had been easy to steal the show when she hadn’t had a view of Kylo’s smooth face.

     Those brown eyes again.

     And beneath them … his lips.

 

\-----

 

     _Of course. The same power._

And the same hazel eyes.

     Kylo approached her, leaving FN-2187 alive but critically injured on the cold ground behind him.

     His lightsaber was still activated, but she wasn’t activating her own.

     He was feet away from her now.

     He lifted his lightsaber into the air before bringing down.

     But he stopped it yet again at her neck.

     Here he was, having just killed his father, Han Solo. Here he was, heavily injured, having cut down FN-2187 without mercy.

     And yet, here he was, holding back against this girl as Starkiller Base, the very planet itself, was crumbling around him.

     Kylo Ren then asked himself an important question.

Had Rey really lied to him?

 

\-----

 

     _Press the button—press the button—press the button …_

But Rey couldn’t bring herself to ignite her lightsaber, even when she could feel the heat of Kylo’s blade only inches away from her neck, sizzling as snow instantly disintegrated upon contact with the red beam.

     He hadn’t killed her yet, but she assumed that was about to change.

     She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

     Time passed as she listened to the crackling saber … how long had she been waiting? Seconds? Minutes? Or rather, maybe she was already dead?

     Her scavenger’s need-to-know soon got the better of her, and she opened her eyes.

     No. She wasn’t dead. Instead, Kylo was staring at her not in anger … but with curiosity.

     “Let’s see where your heart truly lies.” Kylo whispered to her, forcibly putting his hand on her cheek.

     Rey’s eyes snapped shut and her body gave way to a powerful convulsion as Kylo painfully thrust his way back into her mind.

     When she opened them again, they were standing alone in the bridge of a Star Destroyer.

     Kylo turned away from her to face out the window, slowly crossing his arms behind his back.

     She followed his gaze, looking out into space as five massive red beams streaked past the window, casting a powerful red glow into the area that the two were occupying.

     Rey then watched as the beams connected with five planets, one by one, destroying each of them instantly with an unimaginable explosion.

     She was dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open. How many people had Kylo Ren just killed? Millions? Billions? He had spared no one. Not the women, not the children, not the elderly. No one. All of them were gone. Every last one of them.

     What if one of those planets had been Jakku? Even worse, if one of those planets had been Jakku, what if she had been on it?

     She should be appalled.

     _Wait … should?_

     Rey was suddenly horrified. She wasn’t sure which was worse, the destruction of the planets and the immediate extinction of their life that she had just watched, or the fact that she just didn’t … well … really seem to care.

     She looked down at the hard, shiny floor, lost in her own self-assessment.

     _Maybe it just wasn’t … personal enough? You see one man, women, or child die and it’s heartbreaking … but if you witness the destruction of an entire world in the blink of an eye, perhaps it’s just hard to find the right emotions to fit on that kind of scale._

     Rey looked up, remembering that Kylo was with her.

     He was examining her, his head tilted to the side.

     “Not personal enough?” was all he said.

     Rey mentally face-palmed herself.

     _Dear God, Rey, you’re an idiot. He’s in your mind!_

Kylo thrust his hand into the side of her head, sending her reeling.

     She landed in something red.

     Blood.

     The General’s blood.

     Rey stumbled to her feet and looked around.

     They were now in the Resistance Command Room, and Leia Organa Solo was lying dead at her feet in an expanding pool of blood.

     That wasn’t even to mention the blasted, cut apart, and bloody bodies of Resistance members discarded across the room.

     And the smell.

     Her stomach lurched.

     It made her want to vomit.

     Kylo Ren was standing over the General, looking down at her with a glaring mix of contempt and satisfaction.

     Rey suddenly understood.

     _Ben._

Kylo’s head shot up and all the lights in the room began to burst one by one as he approached her.

     Her back hit a wall as the room went dark.

     She then felt Kylo’s hands on her shoulders, shoving her hard against the wall with a teeth-jarring impact.

     Rey couldn’t see Kylo, but his presence, the feel of his skin on her own in the dark, was reassuring. She reached out through the shadows, wrapping her arms around him.

     She could smell him again, feel his hair brushing against her face as she pulled him in closer.

     Kylo softly placed his index finger on her forehead before slowly bringing it down along the bridge of her nose. Their lips were inches apart; she could feel his breath tickling her chin.

     He removed his finger from her nose as their lips drew nearer.

     Then, the same hand was thrust around her neck before he threw her backward, sending her spiraling until her backside connected hard with hot sand.

     Her eyes adjusted to the bright Jakku sun in time to see a ship readying itself for takeoff.

     She spun herself around in the sand, surprised to find that the bottom of her robes were still covered in blood, and saw Kylo standing a short distance away.

     The ship’s engines ignited.

     It was going to leave her here, just like it had when she was a child and in all of her nightmares since.

     Kylo stretched out his hand, offering for her to come and take hold of it.

     She looked back at the ship as it began to hover off the ground, knowing full well that if she ran at the vessel it would take off without her no matter how hard she wanted it to wait on her.

     Rey then looked back at Kylo. His hand was still outstretched.

     She wasn’t sure of a lot of things right now, and she was stuck between of two conflicting choices, but she did know one thing for certain.

     Kylo Ren wouldn’t leave her.

     She stood, and the ship mirrored her movement, pointing itself upward to space.

     Rey made her decision, taking a cautious step toward Kylo.

     That was the hardest step to take, because her feet, with their course set, continued moving mechanically toward him as the ship behind her began blasting off into the sky.

     Kylo suddenly threw out his other hand and Rey braced herself for the impact, closing her eyes before the wave of pain crashed into her.

     But none came.

     At first, she hesitantly opened one eye.

     Kylo was still standing before her, one hand outstretched to her. But the other hand, the one with its palm reaching out …

     Rey spun around, both eyes open wide.

     It was holding the escaping ship in an inescapable Force grip.

     Kylo then flicked his wrist down, effortlessly sending the ship crashing to the ground.

     The vessel hit the sand, exploding upon impact as it continued downward, sinking into the dune until it was lost to sight.

     His method had been cruel, killing everyone aboard the ship, but then again, had the occupants of that vessel done no less to her?

     They had abandoned her without hope on the forlorn planet of Jakku, and yet she had blindly and foolishly waited for them to return. The ship’s occupant’s, her own parents, had left her to live, and eventually, sooner or later, die, in the desert.

     Kylo had just shown her two things.

     One: he could put the past behind her and make sure that the nightmares never haunted her again.

     Two: they both had some serious parent issues.

     _You’re Kylo Ren now. Not the other name. Never again the other name._

Rey caught a light in Kylo’s eyes. Was it satisfaction? Triumph? Acknowledgement? She wasn’t sure, and the look was gone as quickly as it had come, replaced once more by his dark gaze.

     She continued the rest of the distance in silence, stopping before Kylo.

     Then she back-hand slapped him across the face, leaving a clear, red mark on his cheek. He didn’t even flinch.

     “That’s for the tease in the control room,” Rey said as she thrusted her hand into his palm.

     Kylo locked his fingers around her own.

     Then he began to squeeze, clenching his fist tighter and tighter around Rey’s hand.

     It soon began to hurt … a lot.

     Rey bit her lip and closed her eyes in an attempt to direct the pain elsewhere, wondering if Kylo was about to break her hand. And then, just when it seemed that her bones could take no more pressure, she heard a lightsaber ignite.

     She opened her eyes.

     It was her blue lightsaber, still tightly gripped in the same hand Kylo had been crushing.

     They were back in the forest of Starkiller Base, and she understood what had just transpired.

     Kylo had just helped her press the button.

     He backed off, taking his hand off her cheek and then deactivating his own lightsaber.

     After everything they had just been through, only seconds had actually passed.

     But, what was more important right now was that Kylo was raising his hand.

     Finn’s limp body rose off the ground and headed toward her, stopping in the air beside Kylo.

     “Now,” he said. “Decide.”

     Her options were clear.

     Him or the Resistance.

     Kylo was standing wide open. He wasn’t going to stop her if she swung his way.

     Was that a sign of trust?

     Rey’s head was hurting and her mind was spinning as the dying planet gave a violent lurch around her. She didn’t have much time.

     And she remembered Kylo’s heartbeat.

     How? She had never touched his heart.

     Yet she remembered it beating fast and strong.

     It had been beating that way for her.

     Rey snapped back to her senses.

     Her lightsaber was buried in Finn’s chest.

     She had chosen her path.

     Rey deactivated her lightsaber as Kylo dropped Finn’s dead body to the ground.

     “Good,” was all Kylo Ren said, but she knew that he meant so much more as they approached, each throwing their arms around the other.

     They pulled in close, their lips coming together.

     Then the planet shook once more with a force greater than the one before, pulling them apart.

     _This will have to wait … again. Drat!_

“We need to get out of here,” she said to Kylo, looking around as cracks began to form along the ground and trees began to collapse around them.

     She heard their escape nearby.

     The engines of the Millennium Falcon.

     “Catch up with me,” Rey said, pulling away from Kylo before running into the forest and toward the sound of the Falcon.

     She stopped at the edge of a snowy cliff as the Falcon hovered into sight before her.

     Chewbacca was at the helm, and when the Wookie spotted her, she waved for him to come out.

     He nodded in understanding before turning the ship to hover at the edge of the cliff.

     Rey watched as the boarding ramp opened before her and waited, knowing what needed to be done.

     She could hear the Wookie’s heavy footsteps as he ran through the ship. There was a small gap between the end of the ramp and the cliff that he would have to jump across.

     Rey activated her lightsaber and cut him down as he did so.

     The Wookie landed dead on the ground beside her.

     She wasn’t sure how she felt about her actions.

     It was just something that had needed to be done.

     “Impressive,” Kylo said, looking at her approvingly as he walked out from the cover of the trees. “Most impressive.”

     He calmly took her hand and together they hopped onto the ramp of the Falcon.

     That was when Rey finally understood.

     She didn’t like the light over the dark or the dark over the light. And she didn’t like the Sith over the Jedi or the Jedi over the Sith.

     She liked Kylo Ren, plain and simple.

 

\-----

 

     There was a grim irony to all this … he was escaping on his father’s own ship having just killed him ... escaping with Rey … well, that was what mattered to Kylo Ren the most.

     Rey released her grip on his hand as she ran to cockpit.

     She would make sure they escaped before the planet exploded; he had no doubt about that.

     Yes, she would make an excellent student, but to him, she was also so much more.    

 

\-----

 

     Rey was fingering away at the controls when Kylo slowly walked into the cockpit.

     She smiled at him as she flipped the switch, blasting the Falcon up into the atmosphere as the cliff collapsed behind them.

     He smiled back, sitting down in the co-pilot chair beside her.

     The Millennium Falcon launched into space, barely escaping the demise of Starkiller Base as the entire planet exploded, casting a brilliant, romantic, orange light around them.

     But Rey wasn’t focusing on that anymore.

     She was focusing on her lips, as they had just found Kylo’s own to receive them.

     _Finally._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right! So, I had at first planned for this to be a three chapter plot (like a trilogy haha), but as I got to this point I had ideas and that grew into more ideas that made me want to keep going. I really like the chemistry between these two, and I would like to go further with it! 
> 
> I hope I didn't enrage too many people with what I've done here lol, and I'll be back with more chapters ... likely one tomorrow!


	4. Training the Hard Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo make plans and begin Rey's training ... although "training" with these two turns out to mean something slightly different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are now almost post-TFA, which opens the doors to really do anything with these two! 
> 
> I'll keep along the story line that Chapters 1-3 set up, and we'll see where that floats our boat.

“Where is the missing piece of the star map?”

     The two were sitting beside each other in the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit, drifting in space as they plotted their next move after escaping from Starkiller Base.

     Kylo has just posed this question to Rey, and she answered without hesitation.

     “In the Resistance command center. A dormant R2 unit will know. I saw the droid with Luke Skywalker in a vision.”

     “Then you already know what we must do?”

     “Get the droid.”

     Kylo nodded in acknowledgement. “Then we can find Skywalker … and put an end to this.”

     Rey voiced her next thought out loud. “Can’t I just walk into the base and steal it?”

     Kylo looked at her sternly. “No. _She_ would know.”

     Rey knew who he was talking about. “The General.”

     Kylo nodded once more.

     “All right then,” Rey said, swiveling her chair before leaning in closer to Kylo as she lowered her voice down to a whisper, “that was the easy way. So … how about you and I take it the hard way?”

     Kylo followed her example, leaning in toward Rey until their noses were only centimeters apart.

     “We take the droid through force … and you can begin your training.”

     “After all,” he continued, softly placing his hand on her chin, “what better way to learn than through experience?”

     Rey returned the favor, tickling his chin with her fingers.

     She then lunged the same hand onto his neck before thrusting him backward against his seat, giving Kylo a taste of his own medicine.

     “I agree,” she said, smiling as Kylo eyeballed her with his head tilted. “The hard way.” 

     “Then let’s begin your first lesson now!” Kylo said, a devious smile spreading across his lips as he used the Force to blast Rey back against her own seat.

     “You used the Force!” Rey said to him. “That’s cheating!”

     “Expect everything,” Kylo responded before hurtling another Force blast her way.

     Rey dived out of her seat and onto the rigid floor just in time to dodge the attack which sent her chair spinning.

     “Wise words of wisdom,” she said, flipping herself over and into a sitting position, legs outstretched, as Kylo jumped to his feet.

     “Leaving so soon?” he asked, standing over her.

     “Just flexing my sore muscles a little,” she replied before throwing her hands out in front of her, using the Force to hard launch herself back-first out of the cockpit and into the hallway wall.

     She jumped to her feet and turned to run as Kylo walked toward her, but got no further when he threw out his hand, paralyzing her in place.

     “Are you so determined to get away from me?” Kylo asked as he stood before her.

     “Not … exactly,” Rey replied, being to sweat under the effects of the paralysis. “But I can’t move any closer … now can I?”

     Kylo nodded, and with a wave of his hand freed her head.

     With her limited motion, Rey tilted her head before inching it slowly toward his lips.

     But she pulled back at the last second.

     “It’s not quite the same if I can’t put my arms around you,” Rey said softly.

     “Understandable,” Kylo replied before returning control to her arms.

     “Now,” Rey said, leaning in once more with her hands on Kylo’s sides, “that’s better.”

     She planted just a peck of a kiss on his lips.

     And then she swiftly brought her hands to his chest before blasting him backward and into the wall across from her with a Force push, freeing her body as he slammed into the wall with a hard thud.

     “Expect everything,” she said as Kylo looked up at her.

     “I just got shot there,” he said.

     “Now you remind me,” Rey replied, a grin already spreading across her face. “I would have hit it harder had I of known.”

     “Good,” Kylo said, smiling as he cracked his knuckles. “You’re learning.”

     “Now wha—”

     Kylo had cut her off before she could continue.

     He was using the Force to choke her.

     “Next lesson,” Kylo continued casually. “If you never let the enemy speak, they can’t manipulate you. You’re cutting off one of their greatest weapons.”

     Rey’s throat was being clenched excruciatingly tight. She couldn’t breathe.

     “Do the same to me, Rey. You can. Make me shut u—”

     Rey’s whole body was shaking, and she could feel herself getting redder and redder by the second, but that hadn’t stopped her from throwing out a cupped hand.

     Now Kylo was choking along with her.

     He seemed about as pleased as a choking man could be, and she was pleased with herself for discovering this new power even as the edges of her vision began to grow blurry.

     Then she understood why Kylo still wasn’t letting go.

     He wasn’t going to.

     She had to make him.

     The only sounds escaping her were ragged, gargling gasps as she increased the pressure on her grip, and subsequently, on Kylo’s throat.

     Kylo’s eyes opened wider and wider as she did so until he finally released her, pleased that she had understood his lesson.

     Rey fell to the ground on her hands and knees, loudly taking in deep gulps of air.

     Or rather, down to one hand and knees.

     She still hadn’t let go of Kylo.

     He was still on his feet, impressed with her as he looked down at her, ragged gasps escaping through his widening smirk.

     Kylo endured for a few seconds longer before throwing out his hand.

     Rey’s cupped hand then began to twitch uncontrollably, slowly pulling apart as Kylo pried it open little by little.

     His strength was too much, and with one final effort he blasted her palm wide, freeing himself.

     “Good … very good,” Kylo wheezed out in between breaths. “Not falling for mercy.”

     He had barely paused to recover as he remained standing, a true display of his will, but he was the teacher after all.

     Rey hopped to her feet and they looked each other in the eyes.

     “One more lesson,” Kylo said as he lifted hand yet again.

     She watched as his hand began to twitch slightly before the tips of his fingers began to glow … blue?

     Rey didn’t have time to dodge the surge of electric, crackling energy that Kylo launched her way.

     The bolts hit her square in the chest, sending her teeth chattering as her body vibrated through a violent, powerful spasm.

     When she regained control of herself, Rey bent down, resting her hands on her knees. “Was that … lightning?”

     “It was.”

     “Can I do that?”

     “Of course you can … or rather, you will.”

     Rey looked up in alarm as Kylo’s fingertips began to glow yet again.

     “I’m going to keep hitting you with it until you do.”

     Rey made a split-second decision, lunging into Kylo and tackling him to the floor along with her just as he discharged the lightning.

     They hit the ground together, Rey laying on top of Kylo as they shared the surging energy, violently shaking and rocking in each other’s arms.

     “This is … more … like it,” Rey chattered out, wincing in pain as she leaned in closer to Kylo’s face.

     “Using … my … own attack … against me,” Kylo responded while following suit. “Very … wise … of you.”

     Their trembling lips connected, giving the lightning another shared avenue to surge between.

     It most definitely hurt, near unbearably so, but Rey and Kylo kept their lips locked tight through the agony, only pulling apart when Rey collapsed onto his body, unable to hold herself up any longer.

     “That … couldn’t … have been … healthy,” Rey panted out, her and Kylo’s chests heaving on top of one another.

     “Agreed,” he responded in kind. “I think … that concludes … today’s lesson …”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the relationship that these two are young and very strong physically and in the Force. They both have these new powers, so naturally they would want to misuse them a little.
> 
> I feel like they would want to shove each other around and show the other what's up, while displaying love through pain (dark side / Sith kinda chemistry).
> 
> I'll be back next chapter!


	5. Two Drunk Sith and a Phasma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sith can enjoy themselves and let loose too. Sometimes it's good to forget the destruction of your entire Starkiller Base.

Rey sighed as she looked up at Kylo Ren.

     “Aren’t we supposed to be looking for a droid?”

     “We are. But that can wait. We’re in no rush.”

     Rey looked back down … not at a lightsaber, blaster, Stormtrooper, Sith or Jedi … but at her menu.

     There were so many options.

     After their “training” back on the Falcon, the two had happened to notice that a system famous space-diner was located directly along their route to the Resistance base.

     Therefore, they had decided to swing by for dinner.

     After all, Sith had to eat just like everyone else.

     Thankfully, barely anyone in the galaxy knew Kylo and Rey by face, so they were simply two guests sitting across from one another at a white clothed table, sitting under the comforting, pale orange glow of a lamp as they decided what they would order.

     Rey was so conflicted. She had eaten dirt her entire life back on Jakku, both figuratively and literally in some extreme cases, although little good it did her. She hadn’t even heard of half of this garbage.

     Eventually, a thin, blue, Twi’lek waitress with a notepad approached them, welcoming them before asking what they would like.

     “I’ll take the roasted Wampa,” Kylo said, speaking up first. “Just make sure it’s cooked extra dark, and to finish, I’ll take a Cantina Cocktail with that.”

     The Twi’lek nodded, finishing her note before turning to Rey.

     “And what would you like, dear?”

     There were so many choices that it was impossible to decide. Fried Geonosian? She didn’t know what that was and didn’t want to risk it. Sauteed Gungan? She had no clue what that was either.

     Unable to decide, she caved in, placing her trust in Kylo. “I’ll take the same as him.”

     “Including the cocktail?” the waitress asked.

     “Including the cocktail,” Kylo replied for her. “That’ll be all.”

     “Excellent,” the Twi’lek replied before turning to go deliver their order to the chef, “your meal will be out shortly.”

     Once they were alone, Rey leaned in, cupping her hands on the table. “Is drinking really a good idea right now?”

     “Of course,” Kylo casually replied , relaxing back in his chair. “It’s been a long day.”

     “Whatever you say,” Rey responded, rolling her eyes at the ceiling. “You’re the teacher.”

     Their meal arrived shortly after, and after Rey cut and took a bite, she noticed that Kylo was glaring at his plate disapprovingly.

     “I asked … for dark,” he said softly, his body visibly shaking and his nostrils flaring as he tightly clenched his fists. “This is barely even cooked.”

     _Uh-oh._

Rey knew first-hand that Kylo had a very particular, short fuse … and more importantly, an _extremely_ bad temper when it was blown.

     Kylo looked up, his eyes ablaze as he was probably about to bring the whole building crashing down around them.

     Then he looked into her own eyes, which were looking back at him sternly. He clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth as he glanced around to make sure they weren’t being watched before placing his hand over his meal and sending Force lightning surging into the meat.

     Kylo then took a deep breath to calm himself only slightly as he scoffed at the now burnt, deep black slice of Wampa. “I was about to kill everyone in the room … but for now I’ll reconsider since they at least got the drinks right.”

     Rey smiled as she and Kylo raised their glasses.

     “To us!” she said.

     “And to the death of the light,” he added before they clinked their glasses together.

     Rey had never tasted a drink as good as this back on Jakku.

     And so, one drink soon became two … which soon became four as she downed the third … which soon became nine … or was it ten?

     She had lost count after the fifth.

     An explosion rocked the diner as the large glass windows were blasted into pieces, sending shards raining onto the floor.

     Patrons and guests ran about in a panic as First Order Stormtroopers flooded into the diner, some ducking for cover as others bolted for the exit only to find more white armor awaiting them behind the door.

     As for Rey and Kylo … they remained seated, leaning back and resting their arms against their chairs as chaos unfolded around them.

     “I want the building searched top to bottom! We’re not leaving until we find those Resistance scum!”

     Kylo glanced past Rey upon hearing the voice, so she turned to have a look as well.

     It was a woman who had spoken, and based on her silver, chrome-plated armor, she was obviously the one in charge of this raid.

     “I’m assuming you know her?” Rey asked sluggishly upon seeing a light of recognition in Kylo’s eyes.

     “That’s Phasma,” Kylo replied unevenly; he had been through as many drinks as she had. “She’s a Captain of the First Order.”

     Phasma seemed to single them out, probably because they were the only two people in the diner who weren’t freaking out, and walked over to their table.

     “You two!” she said, standing before their table flanked by two Stormtroopers, “have you seen a smuggler and a Wookie enter or leave this building? Their ship parked in the front outside.”

     “You mean Han Solo?” Kylo slowly responded, his head leaning to the side. “That’s my father believe it or not. But don’t worry, him and his furry companion are dead.”

     Kylo then threw his arms up into the air, a triumphant smile spread across his face. “I killed Solo myself! And my student got the Wookie!”

     The two Stormtroopers behind Phasma exchanged a glance as she growled under her breath.

     “Obviously drunk,” Phasma muttered before turning to face Rey. “Do you have anything to add?”

     “You smell like trash,” Rey replied, the stench mixing with the smell of cocktail still on her lips. “Did someone throw you into a compactor?”

     “Yes,” Phasma bitterly replied. “The very same scum we’re hunting right now. I tried washing the smell out, but … actually, you don’t want to know what was in that compactor …”

     “No … do tell,” Kylo said, drunkenly waving his hand in an arc right in front of Phasma’s face.

     “Actually, I will tell,” Phasma said. “In the trash compactor there was—”

     “No … no … I think you should stop,” Rey said, sloppily mirroring Kylo’s hand movement right in front of Phasma’s eyes.

     “On second thought, I think I should stop,” Phasma said.

     “You should hand me your weapon,” Kylo then said.

     “I should hand you my weapon,” Phasma responded, placing her blaster into his outstretched hands.

     “And you should take one of your soldier’s weapons,” Rey added.

     “And I should take one of my soldier’s weapons,” Phasma repeated as she turned and snatched the blaster from the hands of the Stormtrooper on her left.

     Both flanking Stormtroopers looked at one another, unsure of what was going on.

     “You’re going to forget this search, this conversation, and our faces,” Kylo said, this time directing his careless hand wave at all three members of the interrogating party. “And you’re going to stay the night here.”

     “We will forget this search, your faces, and this conversation, and stay the night here,” Phasma and her men mechanically repeated as one.

     “Until we are sober enough tomorrow to attack the Resistance base,” Rey added, throwing in another nonchalant hand wave. “You are dismissed.”

     “Until you are sober enough to attack the Resistance base tomorrow. We are dismissed.”

     With that said, Kylo handed Phasma’s gun to the Stormtrooper on the left as he passed by while Phasma called off the man-hunt and ordered her men to make themselves comfortable for the night.

     Phasma then shook her head as she and her Stormtroopers left the room, forcibly taking her gun back from her soldier as she thrust his own weapon back into his hands.

     They could explain the situation and reintroduce themselves tomorrow when they both had a clear head.

     Rey hiccuped as her eyelids began to drop.

     Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fun chapter! No one ever eats in the movies, so this is +1 for realism! (sort of)
> 
> I would have ordered some sauteed Jar Jar ...


	6. Banter and Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey, Kylo, and Phasma are ready for the assault on the Resistance HQ, but that doesn't mean Rey and Kylo can't have a few moments to themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll explain more about what's going on with me in the end notes.

Kylo had his mask back on.

     And Rey had a dark robe on.

     She found it surprisingly comfortable as she, Kylo, and Phasma, who was none the wiser about the previous night’s conversation, were standing around a holoterminal aboard the command shuttle Phasma had arrived in.

     Kylo had introduced her as an ally, and so, just like that, Rey had become an honorary member of the First Order.

     He had then explained the circumstances surrounding the death of Han Solo and their subsequent stealing of the Millennium Falcon before they got down to business.

     “And so you plan to attack their command center directly?” Phasma asked, confirming their course of action.

     “Yes. Rey can lead us there. She knows the location.”

     Phasma nodded appreciatively in her direction as Kylo detailed their elaborate plan of attack.

     “Rally your men into your shuttle. We’ve storm through the front and kill anyone who opposes us until we find the droid.”

     “Sounds good to me,” Phasma responded.

     “You can count me in,” Rey added. “Let’s do this.”

     Kylo and Rey left the shuttle and headed back to the Falcon as Phasma herded her Stormtroopers into rows aboard her shuttle.

     “Listen up men!” they heard Phasma shout, preparing to brief her party as Rey used the Force to pull the Falcon’s boarding ramp closed behind them.

     She then lunged into Kylo, wrapping her arms around him as she pulled him in close and took off his mask.

     “You couldn’t wait until we were in the cockpit?” Kylo asked her in a tone that indicated he hadn’t wanted her to.

     “You already know the answer to that,” Rey replied softly as she and Kylo exchanged a quick kiss. “I might not be able to do that until after we’re through with all this.”

     “Then that will make the next kiss more special,” Kylo responded. “It might be wise to avoid too much of a good thing.”

     “Says the bad guy,” Rey said as she rested her head on his chest. “Do you really want me to not kiss you?”

     Kylo furrowed his brow, looking upward under the pretense of actually considering his answer the question.

     “No,” he said, looking back down at last. “I don’t think I would like that.”

     “Well then,” Rey replied, tilting her head up, “the last thing I would want is to make you mad.”

     The two kissed again, this time holding on longer before slowly pulling apart.

     “Let’s get this show on the road,” Rey said, winking as she took Kylo’s hand and eagerly lead him to the cockpit.

     They held on as they sat down, only releasing their grip so that Rey could ready the ship.

     In the meantime, Kylo pulled out his holopad, and shortly thereafter, a miniature, blue bust hologram of Phasma appeared in his palm.

     “Are you and your men ready, Captain?” Kylo asked.

     “Always ready,” Phasma replied. “And eager. We await your command.”

     “Good. We’re launching now. I’ve sent the coordinates to your terminal. Ren out.”

     _He’s all stern business with her._

Kylo closed the transmission and then turned to face her.

     “Is that a problem?” he asked.

     “Hey now,” Rey replied, smiling as she finished prepping the controls, “the mind is a private place. I just wanted to make sure that she wasn’t catching your eye is all.”

     “Me? Into Phasma?” Kylo replied, looking at her incredulously. “But then again, you haven’t met Hux so your concern is understandable.”

     “Hux?”

     “A First Order general.”

     “So he’s a big deal, huh?”

     “A big ego is more like it … or a big superiority issue.”

     “It sounds like you two don’t get along very well.”

     “We’ve had our fair share of disputes … all of which I win, of course … but Phasma isn’t one of them. She’s his game and not my type.”

     “So, what is your type then?” Rey whispered.

     “Well, it’s like you said … Phasma is all business.”

     “Oh, so I’m not all business?”

     “I never said that you were my type.”

     “Ah! I get it then! Hux! He’s your type!”

     Kylo fell silent for a few moments as he glared at her.

     “No,” he finally said. “Just no. You can be my type. End of discussion.”

     Rey hid her smile. She enjoyed toying with Kylo’s nerves.

     “Let’s hit the stars!” Rey said, launching the Falcon into the air and out into space, leaving the partly destroyed diner behind as Phasma’s shuttle followed after them.

     The two vessels then jumped into hyperspace, heading for the coordinates Rey had punched in.

     They arrived shortly after at the little known, Outer Rim planet D'Qar, before diving down into the atmosphere.

     Rey ignored the incoming Resistance transmission as she floored it to the base.

     “Open the hatch,” Kylo said. “I’m going.”

     “You’re jumping?” Rey replied. “You could always wait until we land like a normal person.”

     “Since when have we been normal?” Kylo asked as he hopped out of his seat, eager for the coming battle as he put his mask back on.

     “True,” Rey said. “I’m opening the hatch now.”

     “Excellent,” he replied as he strolled out of the cockpit, “see you on the ground.”

     Two X-Wings were now approaching behind them, trying to hail her.

     She continued to ignore the fighters as the base came into sight before her.

     Rey then watched as the two ships were thrown into each other, both exploding instantly in a giant ball of fire and debris as Kylo used the Force to effortlessly slam them into each other.

     _Nice one, Kylo._

She then saw him sky-dive down from the exit ramp to the base below, landing with a powerful explosion, lightsaber ignited, as she parked the Falcon on the ground.

     Phasma’s shuttle dropped down alongside her, and no sooner had her vessel hit the ground than her boarding ramp fell down, allowing her party of fifteen Stormtroopers to file out, blasters going off as soon as they had a target in sight.

     Rey jumped out of her seat and rushed to the Falcon’s ramp, exiting the vessel at the same time Phasma came storming out of her own with a thermal detonator in hand.

     She spotted Kylo a short distance away, joyfully using his lightsaber to hack away at the spare x-wings and Resistance soldiers who uselessly tried to stop him.

     He was covering all the bases, making sure that no one would escape this assault.

     That was when Rey spotted a Resistance soldier taking aim at her.

     It was someone she recognized.

     Poe Dameron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So first off, due to additions in my life, I won't be able to update this story every day like I have been, so I very greatly apologize for that.
> 
> I'm not dropping the story by any means, it just might be two or three days for a new chapter. (Hopefully not more, but it could happen, and I am once again very sorry.)
> 
> I hope you all don't mind too much, and I do want to thank you all so much for understanding and for reading my fic in the first place! I can't even begin describe the joy it brings me to see the enjoyment and kind words in the comments & views!
> 
> Plus, poking fun at other ships is always a good idea! Poor Kylo! ;D


	7. Little Resistance on Either Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo continue their assault on the Resistance HQ in search of R2-D2 and the map to Luke Skywalker, romantically and brutally attacking a base as only they know how.

“Why are you with _him_? And where is Finn?”

     These were the first questions Poe Dameron asked Rey as he held her in the sight of his blaster.

     Rey smiled.

     “I killed Finn.”

     The words had rolled off her lips so easily. And the result was priceless.

     Poe’s eyes opened wide as his face hardened, the hatred for her clear in his eyes.

     Then he shot at her.

     Did he not know what a lightsaber could do?

     She effortlessly redirected the energy shot, sending it flying back at him. It hit Poe square in the chest, knocking him to the ground and wounding but not killing him, just as she had intended.

     “You betr—”

     Rey cut Poe off as she stood over him by simply cupping her hand. Kylo’s lessons were already paying off. If the enemy couldn’t speak, they couldn’t manipulate her.

     “I know you like to talk,” Rey said as Poe began clutching his throat. “And frankly, I don’t want to hear it.”

     She looked over as Phasma used the thermal detonator in her hand to blow a hole into the base.

     She then looked past the captain to see that Kylo had finished mopping up the outer defenses and was heading her way.

     Rey released her hold on Poe when Kylo stood before them.

     He nodded in her direction before forcibly dragging Poe to his feet, not even bothering to use the Force to do so. Kylo then continued to remain silent, simply keeping his masked stare on Poe.

     “Really? We’re doing this whole "you talk first, I talk first" thing again?” Poe said when he had recovered enough air into his lungs to speak. “You know what? I actually don’t care. If you want to be that way, then fine. Be that way. Just kill me now though and stop wasting my time.”

     Kylo then laughed before throwing Poe into the arms of two of Phasma’s Stormtroopers who were awaiting nearby.

     “No,” Kylo said as the Stormtroopers battered Poe down into submission. “We have much better plans for the best pilot in the Resistance. Throw him into the shuttle.”

     The men did as they were told, dragging a limp Poe into their shuttle as Phasma approached.

     “Captain,” Kylo continued. “Remain with your men out here and clean up any stragglers. Rey and I will continue inside alone.”

     “As you wish,” Phasma replied, clearly disappointed that she couldn’t continue the assault. “Good hunting.”

     Kylo swept past the captain, and Rey stopped beside her as she followed him.

     “Make sure Poe doesn’t get too comfortable in there,” Rey whispered.

     “Oh, we’ll make sure of that,” Phasma replied. “And I’m liking you already.”

     The two then nodded and Rey hurried to catch up with Kylo, reaching his side as they entered the base through the opening Phasma had created.

     Once they were inside, Kylo reached his hands up to his head.

     “You’re taking off the mask ?” Rey asked upon realizing his intention.

     “Why not?” Kylo replied as he removed his mask and slammed it down to the ground, exposing the handsome face that she had dearly begun to miss. “I don’t plan on letting anyone besides us leave this building alive.”

     “Hmm. Good point.”

     They then continued inside, entering an empty hallway as they headed for the control room.

     “They closed the doors,” Kylo said as he used his ignited lightsaber to easily cut out an opening for them. “How amusing.”

     This hallway was just as empty as the one before, but Rey could feel the reason through the Force.

     “You sense it too?” Kylo asked her as they rounded another corner.

     “They’re all lined up in the control room,” Rey responded. “They think they’ll be able to shoot us when we barge in.”

     “Good,” he replied. “And so, not to disappoint, we will do exactly what they want us to do.”

     “Barge in?”

     “Barge in.”

     They were finally at the closed blast door that seperated them from the control room, and they could sense the Resistance members huddled behind it, all with their blasters pointed straight at the door and ready to fire.

     “I already know what you’re planning,” Rey whispered.

     “Do you now? Well then, do you think you can do it?”

     “I’m assuming that means you’re not helping me if I can’t, so I’ll do it for the sake of not having twenty blaster bolts pound into my chest.”

     “You’re a quick learner,” Kylo replied and then turned to face her. “I also know what you would like right now, seeing as we have a minute.”

     Rey turned to face Kylo as well before leaning in close. “You’re really good at figuring me out, you know that?”

     Kylo wrapped his arms around her as he responded. “No. I’m just doing this in case you die when we open that door. I wouldn’t want to miss the last opportunity if so.”

     “Ruthless,” Rey whispered back. “I like it.”

     Unable to resist any longer, Rey and Kylo locked lips, lost in each other’s warmth and savoring the moment as a hive of Resistance fighters was waiting to kill them just behind the door.

     They pulled closer and closer as they kissed, hugging each other tighter and tighter until they both finally pulled back and looked into the other’s eyes.

     Then, they both shot a hand around the other’s throat at the same time.

     “You’re learning,” Kylo said as he looked down at Rey’s arm. “Good.”

     “We do seem to have a habit of doing this,” Rey replied as she smiled at Kylo. “I’m glad you remembered.”

     They each squeezed a little tighter before letting go and returning to the task at hand.

     There was a job to do after all.

     “Leave the General to me,” Kylo said as he and Rey stood side by side and faced the door. “Are you ready?”

     Rey ignited her lightsaber. “Ready as I’ll ever be to stand on the receiving end of a firing squad.”

     “Perfect,” Kylo said as he ignited his own saber. “On my command.”

     Rey and Kylo readied themselves, each facing the open palm of their unoccupied hand toward the door as they both pulled their arm back.

     “Now!”

     They each threw their hand forward, using the Force to blast the door wide on each side.

     The Resistance immediately opened fire, unleashing a deadly barrage of blaster bolts in their direction.

     However, Rey and Kylo both still had their hands outstretched, and using their combined power, froze every single blaster bolt stock-still in the air before them.

     The Resistance members barely had time to register their shock before Rey and Kylo pushed forward, sending the wall of deadly energy hurtling back at them.

     The results were devastating.

     Most of the firing squad was killed instantly, the bolts scorching the various points of impact as the dead, bloody bodies were flung around the room.

     As for the unlucky few who were left, well, that was why Rey and Kylo had ignited their lightsabers.

     Rey charged into the room, cutting down the first Resistance member who couldn’t decide whether it was a good idea to fire his weapon again based on what he had just witnessed.

     His friends decided that taking the risk was better than nothing as they fired their blasters her way.

     Rey easily deflected the shots, sending one back to its owner as she bloodily cut down the two men next to him.

     For the last man on her side of the room, Rey used the Force to choke him as she turned her head to look at Kylo.

     He had ruthlessly cut apart the five Resistance members who had tried to stand between him and his target.

     The General.

     He stood before her now, and they weren’t talking. The two were simply looking at one another.

     Rey could see the look of regret in Leia’s eyes as the man she was choking collapsed dead onto the bloody bodies of his comrades.

     Leia had lost her son, and she finally knew it. Kylo Ren had killed Han Solo, and now he would do the same to her.

     Rey could feel Kylo’s thoughts. He was so happy to be free from the burden of his family. He was so happy to plunge his lightsaber into Leia’s chest and then watch as she fell dead to the ground.

     Kylo then stood over her body, looking down at his mother with a glaring mix of contempt and satisfaction as a pool of blood expanded beneath her.

     That was when Rey looked down and understood.

     Kylo had known this moment would come. They had both seen this … the control room, the bodies, the blood, the death of his mother … they had both seen the future when Kylo had been jumping through her thoughts back on Starkiller Base.

     Strangely, now knowing that she was half of the reason for this massacre, the smell wasn’t nearly as bad. She didn’t want to vomit. Rather, she actually felt good … very good even.

     Rey looked up as she remembered what had happened next in her thoughts, hoping that she was about to feel a whole lot better.

     Kylo was now walking toward her, and the lights above him began to burst as he approached.

     Rey spotted the R2 unit they had come for out the corner of her eye before the room was cast into utter darkness.

     The droid could wait, because right now she was only focused on the warm, comforting feel of Kylo’s skin and lips on her own in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the assault, and now it's time for Rey and Kylo to hunt down a certain Skywalker!
> 
> I'll see you next chapter!


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